A CRIME fighting duo's efforts to clean up a neighbourhood have won a national award.

Pensioner Les Fawcett and security guard pal Alan Roberts, both members of Southfield Community Council, Middlesbrough, decided to act as crime spiralled in their neighbourhood.

Mr Fawcett, who recently retired as community council chairman, said they had been trying to combat crime for four years.

He said: "There was a lot of vehicle crime, a high number of cars being broken into in the same streets; as many as 12 to 14 each week. The police could not cope with it all the time.

"Alan and I came up with the idea of putting little plastic signs up in the streets telling people what was happening and asking them to put any items they kept in the car, out of sight.''

Since the signs went up, car crime in the area has fallen to zero.

Using its own cash and grants, the community council paid a specialist firm to increase the height of iron gates sealing off alleyways.

When conmen started knocking on people's doors, the Cleveland Community Foundation stepped in with a grant of £5,000, enabling the community council to produce brightly coloured perspex cards reminding the elderly and vulnerable to check the caller's identity.

Now thanks to the council's initiative, tens of thousands of similar cards are in use across Britain.

The Home Office and Tenants Participation and Advisory Service will present Mr Fawcett, Mr Roberts and the council with a national award for their work.

Mr Fawcett said: "We set out to see if we could help people and worked really hard. Now we are over the moon.''

A spokesman for Cleveland Police said: "They are to be congratulated on their initiative. It shows the effect the partnership between police and public can have on beating crime.''

It comes as police bike patrols keep watch on Middlesbrough's parks and public areas to keep school holiday youngsters safe from mobile phone thieves. There were three muggings in Albert Park on Thursday afternoon. Police aim to stop muggings, break-ins and car crime.

Detective Superintendent Sue Cross, of Middlesbrough Police, said: "A number of tactics will be used to keep local criminals on their toes and to reassure the public that we are committed to maintaining the success we have had in crime reduction.''